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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: scale · tube · present · sharp · shower · hand · patient · march

  1. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. tube — a container
  7. scale — in music
  8. shower — to wash
  9. march — the month
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. tube — the underground
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. march — the month
  14. hand — help
  15. scale — size or range
  16. sharp — clever
  17. present — there
  18. hand — in cards
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. present — a gift
  23. present — the time now
  24. march — music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com